Skipping this tradition is one of the biggest wedding trends of 2017

Many brides are completely ditching bridal parties.

By
Caralynn Lippo

Apr 18, 2017

Getty Images

Being a bridesmaid can go either way. On one hand, it's an honour to be asked to be such an important part of a friend or family member's big day. On the other hand, it can be a complete shitshow for any number of reasons, including but not limited to: your formerly low-key friend morphing into a raging bridezilla seemingly out of nowhere, not getting along with fellow bridesmaids, the stress of being asked to commit too much (time-wise or money-wise)... etc etc.

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Personally, I had a fairly flawless experience the one time I was a bridesmaid, thanks largely to my friend being an exceptionally chill and relaxed bride and giving us loads of input on our choice of dress (she opted for the mismatched bridesmaids trend). But some brides are throwing in the towel completely when it comes to bridal parties, and choosing not to deal with any of the drama, according to HelloGiggles.

More people than ever before are turning to Pinterest for wedding ideas sans bridal party, according to Pinterest's 2017 Wedding Report. "Less is more — brides are choosing to go with fewer bridesmaids, or sometimes none at all! This decision ensures the focus is all about you and your partner," Pinterest reports, noting that they've seen a whopping 100 percent year-over-year increase in the millennial crowd searching for no-bridesmaids wedding inspiration.

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There are plenty of solid reasons not to have bridesmaids at your wedding, especially if it's a more casual or informal affair — reasons that don't involve a lack of friends or family members who are interested in the role. For one, there's virtually always some amount of awkwardness when it comes to choosing one friend over another, with hurt feelings or even all-out family brawls when it's your mom's distant cousin's daughter who you see semi-annually that's excluded.

And external pressures to choose specific bridesmaids (who, at worst, might even wind up spoiling the day) are often an uncomfortable reality. Particularly in an intimate wedding, it's even more noticeable who you did and didn't choose to stand with you on your big day. Leaving some people out can make a bride feel guilty. Leaving everyone out is an easy and fair enough solution to that issue.

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